Men's bowel cancer rates up by nearly 30% in Britain

Bowel cancer rates among men have risen by 29 percent in the last 35 years in Britain, while women have seen an increase of only six percent, according to a new report published on Tuesday from Cancer Research UK. The rates have climbed from 45 cases per 100,000 men in 1975-77 to 58 cases in 2008-10, an overall rise of 29 per cent. Meanwhile, women cases have only increased slightly from 35 cases per 100,000 to 37 cases,according to the report. The largest rise in those diagnosed with the disease has been among people in their 60s and 70s, with more than 23,000 now diagnosed each year. "Since we're all living longer, it's no surprise to see that the number of people getting the disease is rising," said Matthew Seymour, director of the National Cancer Research Network. "But when we look at these figures and take people's age into account, we still see that the risk of bowel cancer has gone up in men in the last 35 years. It's important to find out what's behind the rise and what we can do about it," he said. Despite the increase in bowel cancer rates, there is also good news. Bowel cancer survival is improving year on year, with half of all patients living for at least 10 years after a diagnosis, thanks to improvement in technologies like bowel screening. Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in Britain, after lung cancer. Risk factors for bowel cancer include diet, weight, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking.